Views policy

Buying and getting YouTube views through third-party services

Viewcounts serve as a way to recognize and surface great content. Since views are so important, it’s no surprise that an ecosystem of businesses has evolved around artificially helping creators get YouTube views, likes, and subscribers. However, paying for views obtained through some of these companies could be a violation of our terms, which exist, in part, to make sure the views on any YouTube video come from real, genuine people.

Views generated by some third-party businesses and services will not be counted or reflected on YouTube, and can lead to disciplinary action against your account, including removal of the video or account suspension.

What is a legitimate view?

JANUARY 30, 2018

We’re rolling out an update to improve system accuracy and validation of views across YouTube. You may see view fluctuations on your channel from January 29, 2018, as more or fewer views may be marked as invalid than before.

A view is an intended watch of a video where the primary purpose is to watch the video; this means that a real human being wishes to see a video, chooses which video to watch and then acts on that choice.

A view should be a metric that reflects genuine interest, not a gauge of how many people mistakenly or unknowingly ended up watching your video.

What strategies for gaining YouTube views aren’t allowed?

Services that attempt to get YouTube views through automated means or attempt to force or trick viewers into watching videos are not ok. This could include the following:

Deceptive layouts on third party websites that trick viewers into playing a video when they click unrelated elements on the page.

Serving pop-unders: A new window that appears under a current window.

Redirects: When the URL changes and sends the viewer to a new page in the middle of a click.

Ultimately, if you’re going to contract someone to help promote your content, it should be someone you absolutely trust, as you may be putting the fate of your channel (and your business on YouTube) in their hands. Find out how they promote your content and do your due diligence.